G-Ni in a Bottle
by Izaioi
Summary: Set a few years after the end of the cartoon series, though I based the characters mostly off their comic personalities. Beast Boy, now Changling, is in charge of a new group of young Teen Titans. Most of the original Titans have moved on, though Raven has stayed at the Tower, supposedly to help with the transition. Enter new bad guy. Gar has to learn to step up as a leader.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so this is my first fanfic. Usual disclaimer follows: I do not own the Teen Titans. Please Read and Review. Beware flares; I have a firehose and I'm not afraid to use it. But otherwise, let me know what ya think, where I can make improvements, etc.**

**Izaioi**

Chapter 1

Raven sat on the edge of the roof, meditating. She faced away from him, her cape whipped around by the breeze; he wondered how the hood of her cape stayed up.

"Did you want something, Garfield?" Raven's voice called out. She didn't turn around. "Or would you prefer to just stare at me?"

Garfield, aka the Changling, cringed back against the roof door, the idea of turning into a land turtle and hiding in his shell flashing briefly through his mind. But he pushed that thought away; he wasn't a little kid anymore. He was never going to get Raven to take him seriously if he didn't grow up.

Not two weeks ago, he had essentially been handed the keys to the Tower and a new team. Cyborg was off to work for S.T.A.R. labs, doing something technological that Gar couldn't understand the last five times Vic had tried to explain it to him. He wasn't stupid, he just didn't have Vic's background in engineering and computers. Robin, now Nightwing, was taking off for parts unknown on his path to become a solo hero. As Robin, he had been the leader of the Titans for years. Koriand'r was going home to Tamaran for a visit. She expected to be gone for six months to a year, time enough to reconnect with her k'norfka (read nanny) and others she hadn't seen in years.

So Gar had gone from being the youngest Titan in the Tower to being in charge. When Raven had heard that the others were leaving, the first thing she had said was not to put her in charge. She didn't trust herself to keep the others alive or lead them. She had withdrawn from the conversation, hardly even staying around to meet the new Titans: Hot Spot, Solstice, Ardent, Mas y Menos. She had said maybe two words in the common room since the transition, those being "Tea" and "No."

She had spent the last week and a half in her room meditating, on the roof meditating, or at the waterfront meditating. Every time he had tried to get her out of her room, to engage with the new team had been met with, "Get out. I am meditating."

_At least she's talking to me now, _Gar thought as he stepped out onto the roof to join her.

"Hey. We need to talk," Gar started, hating those four words as soon as they left his mouth. He reached her at the end of the sentence, sitting on the roof next to her. She turned to look at him, her face obscured by the hood of her cape. Gar found himself wondering again how she kept the hood up in this wind. He could feel the wind overcome his hair gel, blowing his new 'do out of wack. Yet her hood stayed up, hardly moving at all.

"Look, we need to learn to work with this new team," Gar began, figuring he might as well dive in.

Raven seemed to have other ideas. "You are the team leader now."

"Yeah, but you're still on this team," Changling pressed on. He hated pressuring her, but he didn't have any more ideas on how to reach her. "Raven, you're closing yourself off again." He reached out a hand to her shoulder. Her gaze flicked down to his hand then back to his face; she otherwise didn't react to his touch, closing down on him.

"Dammit, Raven!" Gar let go of her and turned away. "I miss them too. Part of me wants things to go back to the way they were and stay like that forever." He looked back at her. She had reached out to him, her right hand hanging in mid-air. _She's not gone yet, _he thought relieved.

"Come down, meet them," Gar turned back, clasping her hand in both of his. "Start small. Observe and watch, just like you did with Robin and the others."

"Nightwing."

"What?"

"Gar, his name is Nightwing now," she glanced away. But he could still see her face since she was now turned towards the roof light.

"Raven, please, I can't do this alone," Changling pleaded. "R-Nightwing only let me be 'in charge' because you were staying. None of them think I'm smart enough for this."

"Gar, I. . ." She looked back at him, apology in her eyes.

"I don't question my intelligence, Raven," Gar deliberately used 'the big words' as Kori sometimes put it. "I'm smart enough, I know that. What I question is whether or not I can lead this team." Gar plowed ahead, afraid of losing momentum. "I've spent years being the goofy kid, Raven. And now I can't even get the whole team in one room at the same time."

"Garfield, this new team is a lot different than the old Titans, more emotional. Nightwing, even back when he was Robin, was very close with his emotions. Cyborg, being half machine, processed his emotions analytically; he was rarely overwhelming. Koriand'r, even though she had strong emotions, they were focused." A small smile ghosted across her face. "You were actually the hardest to deal with, your unbridled emotions, your pranks. But you were the one who tried the hardest to include me." She dropped her hand from his as she stood gracefully. "But you have no idea when to back off."

Gar stood with her, his toothy grin splitting across his face. "It's my charming animal nature." He wiggled his eyebrows as he leaned in coyly. "Chicks dig me."

"Case in point," Raven rolled her eyes and shook her head, not amused. "You always had to push just a little too much."

Gar's ears drooped a bit and he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Heh. Yeah, you've got a point." His cheeks flushed a dark green. He took a deep breath and dropped his hands and he let the breath out. "OK."

Raven blinked in surprise; Gar had gone from pushing her boundaries one moment to acting like and adult the next. How had he changed and she not noticed? And how mature did that make her? Raven stepped forward and placed her hand on Gar's arm. He startled, surprise flowing off him; he really hadn't expected her to reach out to him. He had expected her to shut down and shut him out. Gar broke into another toothy grin as he drew Raven into a hug. A small smile crept up Raven's face as Gar embraced her. They stood together as the wind whipped her cape and his hair around them. Raven's hood caught in the wind, falling back to reveal her gently smiling face and her long black hair which started to move in the wind.

"So I back off, a little," Gar pulled back from the hug and gazed down at her porcelain face. "And we all learn to work together as a team?" Raven turned her face up to look at him. She nodded softly before resting her head back on his chest.

They had tried dating before, but (and perhaps, Gar thought, he should have seen it coming) Raven didn't handle intimacy well. A gentle hug, ok. A kiss, now that was a forward move. Making out, don't even think about it. Gar knew she had issues with being touched at all, let alone in an intimate way. So they had broken it off; she was too scared to go forward and he couldn't stand the idea of hurting her. But, _damn, _Gar still loved her. And right now, she was in his arms. He smiled and embraced her gently again, thanking his lucky stars for two hugs in a row.

Gar was so happy he almost missed the small sound Raven made. It sounded like a sigh and she leaned into him more. His elation was short-lived however, when she made the same sound again and almost collapsed in his arms.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Raven!" Gar called out, taking her weight in his arms to keep her from falling. Both of their communicators started with the familiar "Beep-beep-beep-bee-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep," but Gar ignored them, all his attention on Raven. She didn't seem to even hear the communicators; her right hand coming to her face and covering her eyes. Her left hand had a grip on his shirt, and she still hadn't really taken her weight back on her own two feet.

Gar slowly lowered both himself and Raven to the floor of the roof. Raven seemed to come back to herself, her hand came down from her eyes, clutching into a fist above her chest. "Something . . . horrible . . . in the city," she was having trouble putting words together, too distracted by what she sensed.

The communicators stopped going off. Gar was momentarily relieved until Cyborg's voice boomed out of his communicator, "B, wake your green ass up and answer the damn phone!"

With Raven safe from falling, Gar reached behind him and unhooked the little device from his belt. He flipped it open one-handed to see Vic standing in a lab with blinking red lights. "What is it, Vic? I've got a city to save." Raven leaned away from him, sitting up on her own.

"Damn straight you do, green genes," Cyborg roared back. "There's a . . . something outside. Don't know what it is. But it's right on top of the lab. I'm trapped in here with the other scientists."

"We're on our way." Gar hit the Titan call button on the device, "Titans, let's go!"

He stowed the communicator and stood, offering a hand to Raven. She grasped his hand and stood. "You OK?" Gar asked.

"I am . . . unharmed," she began. "I was overwhelmed by an abundance of grief and horror." She took her hand back as she stood on her own. "I have it under control now."

Gar nodded, taking her word. The new Titans spilled out onto the roof, Mas y Menos practically appearing in front of Gar. "Donde esta el fuego?" They asked in chorus.

"Downtown," Gar told them. "Raven?"

Raven nodded. Somewhere in all the happenings she had pulled her hood back up over her head, hiding her face. She spread her arms; her cape seemed to take on a life of its own, swirling around and engulfing the assembled Titans. They were surrounded by black shadows for a few moments, unable to see each other. Then the shadows cleared and the new Titans stumbled forward to find themselves downtown.

Mas y Menos, relieved to see each other, hugged enthusiastically.

"Alright, Titans, we've got a job to do." Gar took charge. "Mas, Menos, crowd control. Get the civilians back to a safe distance. Come back to me when you've got that done." The twins nodded, clasped hands, and sped off; the crowd started to thin as the speed twins moved them back out of harm's way.

"Hot Spot, Solstice, damage control. There are people in some of those buildings. Clear obstacles and get the trapped out. Go." Hot Spot powered up, his head and arms turning to a glowing red. Solstice, with her black light-shell, was ready to go. The two nodded to each other and set off.

"Ardent, Raven, you're with me. Let's find this thing and stop it."

Raven pointed the way and the three set off. They rounded a corner and there _it_ was.

Garfield's first impression was that it looked like Raven's soul-self. It was a black shape, vaguely humanoid, and it was rampaging through downtown.

"Raven?" Gar looked back at her. Her face was white as a sheet, pale even by her standards. Her hood was still up so he couldn't see her eyes. "Is that what I think it is?"

Raven's face turned from looking up at the creature towards Gar. "If you think it is a soul freed from its human vessel, you would be correct. I know of no one on Earth other than myself who can do such a thing."

"Let's find out. Ardent, go high. I'll go low. Raven, you got middle. See if you can take it out, or down, or . . . something." He got nods from both women. "Right. Let's move."

Ardent took off, flying up towards what seemed to be the things 'head.' A giant red lasso appeared in her hands. She threw it over the shadow's 'head' and proceeded to try to wrangle it and pull it back from its rampage.

Gar stayed on the ground, going elephant and trying to take the shadow soul out at its 'legs.' He went right through the thing like it was just a dark fog. He looked up to see that Ardent was having about the same effect. Her lasso was on the shadow soul, but she was unable to halt its advance.

A giant shadow raven rose from Raven's position in front of the shadow soul. It grew and spread its wings, dwarfing the shadow soul. The raven, Raven's soul-self, screamed a challenging call, a haunting sound that chilled Gar right to the bone.

The shadow soul took notice of Raven's soul-self, halting its destruction and bringing itself to face her. It pounced, Ardent's lasso slipping from her grip and vanishing from its 'neck.' Raven's soul-self swept to the side, avoiding the charge and the shadow soul crashed into a block of previously destroyed buildings. It was back up in short order and this time when it attacked the two souls crashed together. The sounds of the two souls colliding and screaming at each other was like a million sharp nails screeching across chalkboards. Gar changed back to human, clutching his ears, the sound maddeningly loud and painful to his enhanced hearing.

Hot Spot and Solstice flew in from overhead, coming to land near Gar. Ardent came in close as well, not landing but close enough to hear directions.

"Umm, wow," Hot Spot spoke with admiration in his voice. "So the bird looking one I take it is Raven?" Both Gar and Ardent nodded. "She's good. I didn't know she could fight like that."

"Yeah. Let's not leave her fighting that thing alone. Ardent, your powers were at least able to touch it; I just went through it like it was a cloud or something," Gar shook his head, trying to get the invasive noise out of his head. "So Ardent, hit it again. Solstice, Hot Spot, back her up and help her pin it down. I'm going to scout around, see if I can find its source, or vessel thing-y. If it came out of one we might be able to get it back into its shell or whatever and stop this. Keep your eyes peeled, if you spot something from the air, let me know." The new Titans nodded. "Alright, let's do this. Raven can't hold that thing off on her own forever."

Gar went bloodhound, four legs being better for moving through the rubble of the battle zone, and a good nose might give him some clues.

The new Titans went high, Ardent creating a large red net and Solstice helping her get ready to throw it. Hot Spot went wide, looking for an opening. He could hardly tell where one of the entities ended and the other began as they clashed back and forth. He didn't really know her that well, but Raven was on his team and he definitely didn't want to hit her.

Finally, an opening. The two mammoth battling souls came apart, the raven soul spreading its 'wings' and screaming again. The shadow soul crouched and hissed back. Hot Spot unleashed an attack, the red hot energy hitting the shadow soul. Ardent and Solstice threw the net over it.

Raven's soul-self screamed again, jerking and twisting oddly. She was reacting like she was the one that was hit. Hot Spot could see that Ardent and Solstice were having trouble keeping the shadow soul pinned. He flew in to help.

The shadow soul managed to get an 'arm' free. It swung at Hot Spot, knocking him out of the air. He landed on a damaged roof, dazed and sore. The 'arm' continued its swing, catching Raven's soul-self on the lower left side, near the 'tail feathers.' The raven soul screamed and writhed as it shrank, disappearing into the rubble.

Hot Spot shook his head to clear it and rose to his feet, blasting the free arm. It retracted under the net. In fact the whole shadow soul shrank and vanished, leaving Ardent and Solstice holding an empty net that disappeared as Ardent let it go.

Mas y Menos sped in as Hot Spot landed. Gar's green bloodhound head popped up over a rise in the rubble, followed shortly by the rest of his body and Cyborg. When Gar and Cyborg reached the others, Gar switched back to human form.

Solstice was the first to speak, "Where did it go?"

"Yeah. I had it, and then the thing went and pulled a runner," Ardent's Aussie accent was thick with frustration.

Gar put a hand on the younger Goth's shoulder. "You win some. You lose some. Let's regroup and assess the damage." He looked around, noticing the group was short one Titan. "Where's Raven?"

The others started glancing about, concerned that Raven had not joined them. "Last I saw, the raven shadow disappeared over there," Hot Spot pointed in the direction he had last seen Raven.

"Right." Gar took off for that particular pile of rubble. "Fan out and find her," he directed the other Titans. "Raven!"

Mas y Menos called out from up ahead of Gar, "Senor Beast Boy! Senor Beast Boy!" _Will they ever get my name right?_ Gar wondered. "Aqui, aqui! Ella esta aqui!" The twins had found her.

Gar went bloodhound again, crossing the distance faster on four feet instead of two. He cleared the last rise to see Raven lying amongst a small pile of rubble. She was looking away from him, breathing hard like she was out of breath. Gar was immediately concerned; Raven wasn't usually a front-line fighter, tending more towards support and healing. As a result, she wasn't one to usually get hurt.

Gar reverted to human, awkwardly sliding down the rubble pile to crouch next to her, "Raven!"

Raven faced him, her blue eyes opening at the sound of her name. Gar clasped one of her hands in both of his, relieved and happy she was ok.

"Gar," Raven started as she tried to sit up. Garfield helped her into a sitting position, making sure she was stable. "That soul . . . he wasn't attacking the city because he wanted to. He's being used as a weapon." The others were joining them as Raven continued her explanation. "He was so frightened, so confused. He was being controlled by someone else. Another man attacked him, turning him into that tortured soul."

Gar helped Raven stand as Cyborg, the last to join them, came over the rise and down to the group.

"You sure you're ok?" Hot Spot asked. "My head's still spinning from when that 'soul' hit me. It got you pretty good too."

"He was lashing out in pain and fear," Raven said. "The raw emotions were . . . overwhelming." Raven looked down to where Gar still held her hand. She could feel Gar's concern for her, and underneath his love. She didn't know how to respond to him. She cared about Gar, deeply, but she just couldn't give into her emotions. She could never forget who she was.

She withdrew her hand from Gar's as she continued, "This is powerful magic, the manipulation of souls. We cannot allow this person to continue unchecked."

"I'll help with the research," Cyborg spoke up. "That is if it's ok for me to crash at the Tower for a while. I've been staying at the lab, and . . . well . . ." Cyborg gestured with one robotic hand to the wreckage around them.


End file.
